The Laughs in Take Care Feel Better Than Its Romance

December 3, 2014

Shot almost entirely in one small apartment, the indie comedy Take Care feels something like a play. Writer/director Liz Tuccillo puts viewers nose to nose with her characters, and their discomfort feels visceral. Everything seems impossible for Frannie (Leslie Bibb) as she feebly inches her way around her fourth-story walkup. Injured in a car accident, ditched by her friends, and feeling sorry for herself, Frannie can’t hobble to her bathroom or peel an orange without help. Desperate, Frannie recruits help from her ex-boyfriend, Devon (Thomas Sadoski) — to the displeasure of his jealous current girlfriend.

Tuccillo, best known for her long-running hit Sex and The City, can craft standout comedy. But the laughs do surprise as Tuccillo jumps from slapstick moments (Frannie’s every movement is a looming disaster) to goofy character quirks (Frannie’s neighbor, it seems, has a passion for Zumba) to heartfelt scenes about life’s afflictions and how to heal from them. Tuccillo refuses to leave any character without a punchline, so audiences might crave just one more scene with the funniest of the bunch — that workout-obsessed neighbor (Michael Stahl-David) or Devon’s crazy yet somehow relatable girlfriend (Betty Gilpin).

It’s only in the closing moments when Tuccillo lets up, delivering a skip-into-the-sunset ending that seems a bit canned. Take Care‘s laughs feel better than its romance.

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